I was completely sold on the idea of sand until I used it in my brooder. It kicks up a ton of dust. We *sometimes* can get a drought here in the mid-Atlantic, and I'm not thrilled with the idea of all that dust stirred up all the time.

What else do people use in their runs? Mine will be about 70 sq ft with 3-4 standard birds. I'd love something easy to maintain that keeps down pests and odor. Any suggestions?

Dirt and dried leaves that I collect in the fall and add as needed. The girls quickly trample the leaves creating instant compost. I haven't raked it out since last fall and there is no smell...and the run has a roof on it.

Mine always start as grass, turns to dirt, and then I get a load of sand and put it around 6 inches thick. My run is covered so it doesn't get muddy and I use a kitty litter scoop to grab up the messes every few days. Works great

I have a large run that was all dirt. When it rains half of it would get muddy ( it is covered with wire mesh ). I added about a ton of sand ( that was a lot of work! ),but alas, NO MUD, ever!! It doesn't get dusty either. I rake the whole run, dirt and sand, about once a month.